Sonic Universe: Issue 58

Sonic Universe: Issue 58
Publication Date: November 2013

Issue 58 of “Sonic Universe” boldly declares the appearance of Burning Blaze. Blaze’s super form was mentioned in the Sonic Comic Encyclopaedia but this is the first time she’s actually shown up in the comic. Would you believe Blaze is the only female Sega character with a super form? The closest the comic has come before was when Sally fused with the Sword of Acorn. Later, Nicole would get a super form of sorts. But nothing else in the comics. Gee, Sega, doesn’t Amy or Rouge deserve to go Super Saiyan too? Seems a little sexist to me. Anyway...

The final part of “Pirate Panic Plunder” has our heroes surrounded. Captain Whiskers and his crew attack from one side while Captain Metal appears on another. Blaze goes off to face the blue robot pirate but is quickly subdued. Taking her aboard the Egg O’ War, he grabs the last Sol Emerald and prepares his imminent takeover of the world. Luckily, Amy and Cream pitch in to help out. Grabbing the last gem, Blaze transforms into Burning Blaze and quickly deals with Metal. But the fight’s not over yet, as the robotic pirate becomes one with his warship.

While I think “Pirate Panic Plunder” is a pretty fun story arc, I’ve seen some fans bitch about it. The main complaint seems to be that Blaze spends most of the arc getting beaten up or captured. Which, okay, is fair. She’s bested in the first part, in a cage for most of two, and begins this issue by getting walloped by Captain Metal. Is this out-of-character for her? If it is for her video game counterpart, I have no idea. As for comic book Blaze, despite her massive powers, the vulnerability she’s shown in the past is my favorite aspect of her. So I’m fine with watching her get the shit beat out of her.

Watching her struggle like that also makes her very self-assured victory more satisfying. After getting piled on for three issues, we want to see Blaze win. And, boy, does she ever. Once transformed into Burning Blaze, she’s pretty much unstoppable. She burns Captain Metal down to molten slag in seconds. Once his consciousness is inside the Egg O’ War, he comes at her from every direction. She deflects this with a wave of her hand. She busts the massive warship with a giant fireball before kamehameha-ing a huge hole through it. That’s got to make her one of the most powerful super forms in the Sonic-verse, right? It’s certainly an impressive display and one hell of a note to end on.

As super-charged as Burning Blaze is, she never would’ve gotten there without Amy and Cream’s help. In fact, the girls have repeatedly helped Blaze out of jams throughout this arc. It’s almost as if the only thing stronger than the Sol Emeralds is... Friendship. In all seriousness, the bond this little group forms is cute and touching. Watching them bounce off each other and coming together to defeat a powerful enemy is fun. At the end, Blaze explains that the Sol Stones were aware of her bond with Amy and Cream and intentionally drew them here, to help her complete her mission. Is that kind of a bullshit plot justification? Yeah, maybe. But I’m still glad Amy and Cream were along for this ride.

The only real disappointment I have with the conclusion to “Pirate Plunder Panic” is how Yardley casually discards most of the characters and plot points he set up. After Metal grabs the stone, Captain Whiskers and his crew immediately skedaddle. Captain Metal’s crew also quickly abandon ship. Makes you wonder why they were brought into the story in the first place. Despite the prominent roles they played up to now, Marine, Bean and Bark are sidelined for the end. They stay on the submarine, watching the Egg O’ War go up in the flames. Kind of wish Yardley could have included them in the big fight.

“Pirate Plunder Panic” ends with a few sequel hooks. Blaze might have melted his regular form to red hot goo and then destroy the Egg O’ War but it’s implied Captain Metal’s consciousnesses survives. That teaser was a smart decision, since he was far too good of a villain to toss after one story. Before using the Sol Emerald’s power to teleport them back home, Blaze assures Amy and Cream that they’ll see each other again. Sadly, none of these would be paid off on. The “Sonic” books would be far too preoccupied with building up its new world over the next two years to ever visit Blaze’s again. This is her and Marine’s last major appearance in the book.

Which is a shame, as I was just starting to grow fond of them. The books will soon return to the grind of throwing away the world we love and establishing its less interesting replacement. This actually begins in the last few pages of this comic. Upon returning to the planet formerly known as Mobius, Amy immensely realizes something is off. So it goes. “Pirate Panic Plunder” isn’t perfect, as it’s second part was quite week. Overall, I enjoyed this one. The villain was fun, the cast was cool, and the action was solid. That’s a success. [7/10]